Relic Heart
by Yuuram von Bielefeld-Shibuya
Summary: Wolfheart, Gorsefern and Sparrowheart are brand new warriors of ForestClan. The Clans numbers have reduced since the Battle of Cold Blood but tensions seem to be raising again and along with it, hostility. Will the Clans survive and manage to rebuild their numbers? Can Wolfheart and her friends suceed with their warrior duties and even rebuild the Clans to their former glory?
1. Allegiances

Several moons ago, a great battle between the four Clans ended with plenty of bloodshed. Countless lives have been lost and the Clans suffer the threat of extinction. Leaf-bare sets in a harsh winter, with kits needlessly falling ill and dying from the cold. Leaders lost their lives quicker than any cat thought possible. Medicine cats passed on without proper apprentices, and normal warriors had to take up a new duty to protect what little they had left. Apprentices were put to the ultimate tests in order to complete their training quicker and earn their full warrior names.

It was a war that was costly. A season in which took more lives than needed.

It was known as the Battle of Cold Blood. And this was the aftermath of how the Clans rebuilt their lives, lands, and legacies.

* * *

 **ForestClan**

 **Leader**

Cloverstar - dark brown tabby tom with vibrant green eyes

 **Deputy**

Stonefoot - grey tom with dark grey paws, yellow eyes

 **Medicine Cat**

Thornberry - pale ginger tabby she-cat with white paws and amber eyes

 **Warriors**

Grayfang - light grey tom with tufted ears that are dark grey at the tips, dark grey chest and underbelly, amber eyes, light grey paws and tail tip

Shadowclaw - jet black tom with dark amber eyes  
 _ _Apprentice,__ Flamepaw - ginger-and-white she-cat with green eyes

Rippleleaf - white she-cat with grey patches and brown eyes

Branchstep - white tom with bright blue eyes, black chest and ear tips

Blazetail - bright ginger she-cat with yellow eyes

Nightstep - white she-cat with jet black paws, brown eyes  
 _ _Apprentice,__ Daisypaw - cream-and-brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Stormstripe - silver-grey tabby tom with amber eyes  
 _ _Apprentice,__ Tawnypaw - tortoiseshell-and-white tom with dark blue eyes

Suntail - yellow tabby tom with bright green eyes  
 _ _Apprentice,__ Softpaw - velvety blue-grey she-cat with sky blue eyes

Sandblaze - sandy-coloured she-cat with light green eyes

Mousepelt - dark brown tom with yellow eyes

Wolfheart ****(formally Wolfpaw)**** \- grey-and-white she-cat with light blue eyes

Gorsefern ****(formally Gorsepaw)**** \- white tom with bright ginger patches and yellow eyes

Sparrowheart ****(formally Sparrowpaw)**** \- brown tom with white chest, underbelly and tail tip, green eyes

 **Queens**

Owlfeather - light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes (expecting Mousepelt's kits)

Creamtail - fluffy cream-coloured she-cat with brown eyes (foster mother of; Shinekit; snow white tom, and Lightkit; silvery-white tom)

* * *

 **LakeClan**

 **Leader**

Marigoldstar - fluffy golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes

 **Deputy**

Snakefang - dark grey tabby tom with dark green eyes, torn ears and scars marking his flank and shoulders

 **Medicine Cat**

Goldenleaf - golden she-cat with darker paws and long tail  
 _ _Apprentice,__ Snowflower - white tabby she-cat

 **Warriors**

Redpelt - russet-coloured she-cat with a fluffy tail

Cinderleaf - pale grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Lionpelt - golden tabby tom with a thick-furred neck and amber eyes

Hazelclaw - dusty brown-and-white tabby she-cat with forest green eyes

Blackear - black-and-white tom with dark blue eyes

Dirtwhisker - brown tabby she-cat with green eyes  
 _ _Apprentice,__ Sleekpaw - black tom with sea-green eyes

Graycloud - grey-and-white tom with brown eyes

Darkear - white tom with dark blue eyes and one black ear

Smokebreeze - dark grey tom

 **Queens**

Streamtail - silver tabby she-cat (expecting Smokebreeze's kits)

* * *

 **SnowClan**

 **Leader**

Frogstar - black tom with white paws and underbelly

 **Deputy**

Foxpuddle - dark brown she-cat with lighter brown and white patches, brown eyes

 **Medicine Cat**

Pigeonwing - light grey tom with white paws

 **Warriors**

Pebblestep - grey she-cat  
 _ _Apprentice,__ Maplepaw - tawny brown-and-cream tortoiseshell tom with hazel-coloured eyes

Ravensky - jet black she-cat  
 _ _Apprentice,__ Riverpaw - blue tabby she-cat with sea-green eyes

Buzzardwing - long-furred white tom  
 _ _Apprentice,__ Specklepaw - black tom with white speckles and forest green eyes

* * *

 **FogClan**

 **Leader**

Flowerstar - tortoiseshell she-cat with a long-furred tail

 **Deputy**

Patchshade - white tom with black patches

 **Medicine Cat**

Puddlefoot - dark brown tom with dark tipped ears


	2. Chapter One

Wolfpaw looked between her two friends as they tried hard not to fidget or bounce around excitedly at the base of the TallBranch. Gorsepaw flicked an ear nervously and firmly stepped on his tail as it twitched when he curled it around his paws. Sparrowpaw, on Wolfpaw's other side, was kneading the ground impatiently. Wolfpaw couldn't blame them, she was feeling all sorts of things just like they were. Ranging from excitement to nervousness.

Wolfheart's mother and father, Rippleleaf and Branchstep, were watching her proudly from amongst the gathered cats of ForestClan. Her mentor, Blazetail, stood beside them, pride shining in her yellow eyes. Gorsepaw and Sparrowpaw's mentors, Sandblaze and Mousepelt, also watched their apprentices with pride.

Wolfpaw felt Gorsepaw's tail flick her on the shoulder and she looked in the direction he nodded his head in briefly. Daisypaw and Flamepaw were trying hard not to glare at them. Wolfpaw shook her pelt off and looked away. The two she-cats were just jealous. Especially Daisypaw since she had a crush on Gorsepaw. On the other side of the clearing, beside Shadowclaw, Nightstep and Stormstripe, sat Softpaw and Tawnypaw. The trio's friends looked pleased for them at least. Softpaw was a shy, young she-cat with a big heart, and Tawnypaw was a reckless tom who still had a lot to learn from his mentor.

Cloverstar then jumped down from the TallBranch and padded forward toward Wolfpaw, Gorsepaw and Sparrowpaw. __This is it,__ Wolfpaw thought excitedly. __We're about to become warriors at last!__ The leader's vibrant green gaze almost glowed in the weak sunlight. His posture was one of clear authority yet kindness. These three cats were about to become full Clan cats of ForestClan, to which Wolfpaw could tell he was excited about.

The dark brown tabby tom held back a purr and held his head high as he spoke loud and clear. "I, Cloverstar, leader of ForestClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these three apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Wolfpaw, Gorsepaw, Sparrowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior codeand to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do!" the three apprentices answered in unison.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Wolfpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Wolfheart. StarClan honours your loyalty and warmth, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ForestClan" Cloverstar rested his muzzle on Wolfheart's head and she licked his shoulder respectfully in turn.

"Wolfheart! Wolfheart!" The Clan chanted joyfully from behind her and Wolfheart's ear twisted slightly in embarrassment. Cloverstar then turned to her friends.

"Gorsepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Gorsefern. StarClan honours your bravery and fighting skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ForestClan" Cloverstar rested his muzzle on Gorsefern's head and he licked his shoulder respectfully in turn.

"Gorsefern! Gorsefern!" Wolfheart gave her friend a warm gaze as she chanted his new name alongside her Clanmates.

"Sparrowpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Sparrowheart. StarClan honours your kindness and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ForestClan" Cloverstar rested his muzzle on Sparrowheart's head and he licked his shoulder respectfully in turn.

"Sparrowheart! Sparrowheart!"

The three new warriors felt their fur gleam from the many praises of their Clanmates before Cloverstar spoke again.

"Wolfheart, Gorsefern and Sparrowheart will sit a silent vigil tonight, as tradition holds. For now, the meeting is over". Cloverstar dipped his head to the three and turned to speak quietly with Stonefoot. The deputy also dipped his head to them as he passed by.

"Congratulations," Came Grayfang's low rumble. He licked between Gorsefern's ears and gave a mighty purr. Gorsefern blinked up at his only living kin and purred back. "I know your mother and father will be looking down on you proudly from StarClan. All of you".

"Even mine...?" Sparrowheart meowed softly.

Grayfang nodded. "Of course, Sparrowheart. You may have come to us as just a tiny kit and all alone, but you've grown into a fine ForestClan cat". Sparrowheart purred from the praise and Grayfang flicked his tail. "Now, I'm going to go and rest my bones. I'll be in the elders' den any moon now" He purred again in amusement before dipping his head and walking away to disappear into the warriors' den.

Tawnypaw and Softpaw bounded up to their friends looking just as proud as their mentors had. Softpaw's blue-grey fur was fluffed up slightly as she supressed a shiver down her spine.

"I can't believe you're having your vigil in the cold breeze," she mewed. "I'd hate for that to be me".

Tawnypaw laughed a little bit and his dark blue eyes shone with pride and awe. "But they're warriors now, Softpaw! They can take on anything!"

"Warriors get hurt too, Tawnypaw" Softpaw flattened her ears and narrowed her eyes at the tortoiseshell-and-white tom. "Remember when you had to share mentoring with me and Suntail because Stormstripe got injured in that border patrol?"

"That was just the one time. And it was an ambush from those stupid SnowClan cats!" Tawnypaw's fur fluffed up aggressively and his claws dug into the dirt. "You should've seen the way Snakefang and Stonefoot were hissing at one another though! I thought the two were going to battle on their own for sure!" His voice was pouring with excitement and his eyes reflected that.

"But in the end, Stonefoot backed down and turned away, leading the patrol back to camp" Sparrowheart put in helpfully. He'd also been a part of that patrol.

Wolfheart couldn't help but glance toward the nursery where she could faintly see Owlfeather's pregnant belly as her flank rose and fell from her breathing as the queen slept. Creamtail could be heard telling Shinekit and Lightkit to settle down and be quiet. Wolfheart's heart ached for the two little kits, as their parents had been taken by the harshness of leaf-bare. Their father had died in the Battle of Cold Blood - which had made Cloverstar recognise that Wolfheart and her two friends were ready for their assessments - and their mother had died from a mysterious illness that Thornberry hadn't been able to cure in time. Shinekit and Lightkit had been given to Creamtail as her foster kits, and she treasured them as if they were her own. Creamtail was also Daisypaw's mother.

At that sudden thought, the grey-and-white she-cat turned her gaze to the apprentices' den. They'd no longer be sleeping in there after tonight. She sympathised for Softpaw and Tawnypaw, for they would still have to put up with Daisypaw and Flamepaw's pitiful complaints for a bit longer until their mentors told Cloverstar they were ready for their own assessments.

"Wolfheart? You okay?" Gorsefern's voice reached her ears and she turned to him with a blink of her blue eyes.

"Hm? What is it?"

Gorsefern flattened one ear in concern. "The sun's nearly fully set. Sparrowheart said we should go and begin our vigil".

"Oh, right! Good idea".

Softpaw and Tawnypaw bid them goodnight and hurried off to the apprentices' den in which Wolfheart had to stifle a laugh as she watched them hesitate outside the entrance before giving in and slipping inside. She honestly did sympathise for the two of them. But they would be warriors in no time, she was sure.

Wolfheart followed Gorsefern and Sparrowheart as they settled at the camp entrance. Sparrowheart took up one side while Gorsefern and Wolfheart took up the other. She prepared herself for the long, silent night ahead of them. A cold wind suddenly blew, ruffling her fur and she swore she could already feel her paws begin to numb. Leaf-bare wasn't quite over just yet it seemed.

* * *

Wolfheart caught Sparrowheart yawn from the corner of her eye and she, too, felt like dropping off her paws and sleeping. But they had a vigil to sit, and she was making sure to keep up a good reputation as a ForestClan warrior. She then saw Gorsefern stiffen and his ears twisted around as well as his head to look at the forest behind them. Wolfheart and Sparrowheart also pricked their ears alert and that was when Wolfheart heard it. Pawsteps. Surely that was what had Gorsefern's attention, right?

The ginger patched tom took one look at his friends before standing and slinking off through the gorse tunnel that led out onto their territory. Wolfheart waited for Sparrowheart to nod at her before she followed the other tom. She crept through the tunnel and waited at the end just before the forest terrain. She could still hear the mysterious pawsteps and could see Gorsefern hidden in a clump of ferns not too far away. She knew they should really tell Cloverstar or Stonefoot, but their vigil was meant for them to defend their Clanmates for the night, and so they would do just that.

All of a sudden, Gorsefern sprung from his hiding place and was soon wrestling with a black-and-white tom. The two took turns to pin one another until Gorsefern got a secure hold on the other tom and growled in warning. He raised a paw to give a warning swipe when a tortoiseshell she-cat crashed into his side from nowhere in aid of her ally.

Wolfheart then charged forward to aid her friend and tackled the tortoiseshell to the ground while Gorsefern took to attacking the tom again. The four cats battered at one another, with soft yowls and claws snagging against fur and sometimes drawing blood. Wolfheart hissed as her opponent bit into her leg with sharp teeth and she shook her off before slashing her claws across the other she-cat's muzzle.

Through the smell of blood, Wolfheart caught the she-cat's Clan scent - FogClan. Wolfheart couldn't help but feel angry but she also felt confused. FogClan had lost so many cats during the Battle of Cold Blood so why were they attacking another Clan's camp? Not only was that a risky move for even a strong Clan, but there was supposed to be a truce for now until around the middle of newleaf. And Wolfheart knew that Flowerstar was not usually a cat who ordered attacks unless entirely necessary.

As the two sides kept battling, Wolfheart caught sight of Sparrowheart keeping an eye on things from the tunnel. He was making sure to be ready for if one of the FogClan cats charged at him or defeated either Wolfheart or Gorsefern. Wolfheart bit into the she-cat's throat but not enough to kill her. The tortoiseshell gave a screech and scampered off into the undergrowth. It wasn't long before Gorsefern sent the black-and-white tom after her.

The two ForestClan warriors stood trying to catch their breath. They shared a proud look between them before padding back to Sparrowheart. All three slipped back through the tunnel and took up their previous positions. Wolfheart cleaned her wounds alongside Gorsefern as the sky grew lighter with the coming of dawn.

Soon, Shadowclaw padded out of the warriors' den and stretched out his long legs and tail with a yawn showing off sharp, white fangs. His claws extended from his paws and near enough glinted in the rising sunlight. He finished stretching and shook out his fur before greeting Branchstep as he, too, emerged from the den and then walked off to the apprentices' den where Wolfheart guessed he was going to wake Flamepaw. She also guessed that her father was going to be on the dawn patrol, and hopefully they would notice that FogClan cats had been on their territory in the night too.

Sandblaze also emerged from the warriors' den and then the dawn patrol made their way over to the new warriors. Flamepaw gave them all a displeased look as she immediately passed by and through the tunnel. Shadowclaw gave them all a curt nod and followed his apprentice. Sandblaze nodded to Gorsefern and licked his former apprentice on the shoulder as Branchstep did the same to Wolfheart but between her ears lovingly.

"You three may speak now, don't worry," Sandblaze purred but it was cut short when he noticed the ruggedness and torn patches of Gorsefern and Wolfheart's pelts. "Did something happen last night?"

"We had a bit of an ambush from two FogClan warriors - a tortoiseshell she-cat and a black-and-white tom. We managed to chase them off eventually, but we don't know how far they went. They could still be on our territory for all we know" Gorsefern's voice was slightly raspy from having stayed quiet all night, but he yawned into his chest when he dipped his head and that cleared it.

"A tortoiseshell she-cat and a black-and-white tom from FogClan, you say? Hm..." Branchstep thought for a moment before looking at Sandblaze. "It seems Featherpaw and Aspenpaw were given their warrior ceremony".

Wolfheart felt a spark in her mind and reeled her memory back to one of the Gatherings she had been to. Now she recognised that the cat she had been fighting was Aspenpaw, and so Gorsefern must've been fighting Featherpaw! They'd never really spoken to the two of them much, mostly sticking with their friends in LakeClan, but they hadn't seem like hostile cats - Featherpaw especially. _But cats can change...,_ she reminded herself.

"Sparrowheart, can you let Cloverstar know? Meanwhile, you two," Sandblaze looked at Gorsefern and Wolfheart "You two can get yourselves to Thornberry's den and see what can be done about those scratches. I can smell blood on you both now".

Wolfheart and Gorsefern dipped their heads and trotted off to the medicine cat's den while Sparrowheart ran off to inform Cloverstar and Sandblaze followed Branchstep through the camp's tunnel entrance to catch up to Shadowclaw and Flamepaw.

The scent of herbs hit the two cats' noses as they pushed through the ferns and into a small clearing. On one side of the clearing was a small rock-face where Thornberry stored her herbs into small piles of each type and rested them in gaps carved out of the rock. There was a nest of moss and feathers that served as the medicine cat's nest for the night. On the other side, there were several empty nests that were for the sickest or most injured cats that would need to spend their time close to the medicine cat in order to heal better.

"Thornberry?" Gorsefern called out as he and Wolfheart stepped inside and looked around. A muffled mew came from behind them and the two cats jumped, startled. Thornberry stood behind them with kind amber eyes and a mouthful of used herbs. "Sorry!" Gorsefern and Wolfheart moved out of her way and let the pale ginger tabby she-cat pass them by and drop off her used herbs to tend to later.

She gave her white paws a quick clean and flicked her tail in a more proper greeting. "How can I help you two?"

"We were kind of ambushed by some FogClan warriors during our vigil," Wolfheart explained. "Sandblaze sent us here to get our wounds checked over".

"Of course! Wow, you certainly didn't have to wait long until getting your first warrior experience, eh?" She purred in amusement and went to pick up some cobwebs and goldenrod. She began to chew up the goldenrod and spread the poultice over the more worse wounds before pressing cobwebs over them and clearing up the tiny bit of bleeding that was left. "There we are. I advise that you two get some rest, it's been quite the eventful vigil for you".

"Thanks so much, Thornberry, you're amazing!" Wolfheart purred and gently butted heads with the medicine cat. "StarClan has blessed us with you as a medicine cat".

"No worries, Wolfheart, I'm just doing my duty to my Clan".

Gorsefern dipped his head in thanks and Wolfheart followed him out of the medicine cat's den and back into the main camp of their Clan. The grey-and-white she-cat briefly sniffed at her friend's scent and was thankful to not smell blood mixed in it now. Sparrowheart was sat outside the warriors' den waiting for them. He stood as they approached and jerked his head toward the entrance.

"I got us some nests inside, it's cosier in there than the apprentices' den is".

"Of course it is; Flamepaw and Daisypaw aren't in there" Wolfheart joked and Sparrowheart flicked his tail on her uninjured shoulder.

"Daisypaw isn't that bad, honestly" Gorsefern meowed as they slipped inside - thankfully the den was empty but Wolfheart could easily smell the scents of the other warriors - and curled up beside one another, Gorsefern in the middle. "She's been really sweet to me sometimes".

"Oh please, she likes you so of course she's sweet and kind and the perfect little thing to you," Wolfheart sniffed and buried her nose in her paws. "Whereas to me especially, she's just a thorn in my fur".

"I personally feel Flamepaw is the worse out of the two" Sparrowheart sighed and curled up tightly. "Sleep well you guys, we're finally warriors".

Wolfheart purred and gently pushed herself closer to Gorsefern, feeling him rest his head on the back of her neck. She evened out her breathing and let her thoughts go blank. Gorsefern and Sparrowheart's scents filled her nose comfortingly and soon enough the she-cat drifted off into a much needed sleep.


End file.
